What if the Wattersons were Looney Tunes characters?/Space Jam
Space Jam is a 1996 American live-action/animated family sports comedy film directed by Joe Pytka. Starring basketball player Michael Jordan, the film depicts an alternate history of what happened between Jordan's initial retirement from the NBA in 1993 and his comeback in 1995, in which he is enlisted by Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes characters to help them win a basketball match against a group of aliens who want to enslave them for their amusement park. The film also marks the first appearance of Bugs' love interest, Lola Bunny. Released theatrically by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment on November 15, 1996, Space Jam received mixed reviews from critics for the film's merits of combining Jordan and his profession with the Looney Tunes characters. Despite this, the film opened at No. 1 in the North American box office and grossed over $230 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing basketball film of all-time. A sequel, starring LeBron James, is scheduled for release on July 16, 2021. Plot In 1993, Michael Jordan announces his retirement from professional basketball to follow his now-deceased father's career in baseball. Facing much less success, he is assigned a publicist/assistant, the bumbling Stan Podolak, to smooth the transition. Elsewhere in outer space, an intergalactic amusement park named Moron Mountain is facing decline; its owner, Mr. Swackhammer, sends his diminutive minions, the Nerdlucks, to capture the Looney Tunes as new entertainment. They divebomb to the center of the earth, where the Looney Tunes' reality is hidden. Despite having powerful laser guns, the Nerdlucks are tricked into thinking that their prisoners have a chance to defend themselves; Bugs Bunny states that the challenge to decide their fates will be basketball (as the Nerdlucks are too small to play). The Nerdlucks steal the talents of NBA players Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson and Muggsy Bogues. The sudden incapacity of the five men leads to worldwide panic that results in the NBA season ending early. They try to restore their skills through practice, hospitalization, therapy and prayer, but to no avail. To intimidate the Looney Tunes, the Nerdlucks absorb the talent in front of them, transforming into monsters twice as large as them with dark basketball uniforms to which Sylvester dubs them the "Monstars". Bugs then realizes that they're going to need professional help. While golfing with Bill Murray, Larry Bird and Stan, Jordan is sucked down a hole by Yosemite Sam's lasso and into the Looney Tunes' land. There, the Looney Tunes are all happy to meet him, despite Jordan dismissing it as a dream. Bugs uses his usual comedy to make Jordon realize he's awake; he then explains the Tunes' dire situation to him. Jordan agrees to train them as he no longer plays basketball. However, right before he can start teaching them, the Monstars break into the gym to intimidate the Tunes further; when Jordan attempts to stand up to them, the Monstars use their talent and cartoon physics to turn Jordan into a ball and humiliate him. Deciding to play against the Monstars personally, Jordan sends Bugs, Daffy Duck and Richerd Watterson to retrieve his basketball gear from home. Stan spots Bugs, Daffy and Richard and pursues them to the Tunes' world, reuniting with Jordan and joining their team, the Tune Squad. Another new recruit is Lola Bunny, a skilled player with whom Bugs is instantly smitten. On the day of the match, the Monstars dominate the first half, sinking the Looney Tunes’ morale. Stan overhears the Monstars tell Swackhammer how they gained their talent, and informs the Tune Squad. Bugs and Jordan rally the team and power through the third quarter with old-school gags and Acme weaponry. During a timeout, Jordan raises the stakes with Swackhammer: a win by the Tune Squad would require the Monstars returning their stolen talents, while a win by the Monstars would require them earning Jordan as a new attraction. To ensure victory, Swackhammer orders the Monstars to play rough, injuring the Tune Squad until only Jordan, Bugs, Daffy, Lola and Stan remain. Stan manages to score but is literally flattened by the Monstars and removed from the court. The referee, Marvin the Martian, informs Jordan that without a fifth player, the Tune Squad will have to forfeit. Bill Murray arrives and volunteers, much to Daffy's confusion; Murray explains that he asked his agent to get him there. In the final seconds of the game, Jordan gains the ball but is grabbed by the Monstars during a jump to the basket. Remembering that Bugs told him that cartoon physics apply to him, he extends his arm and scores the winning points, thus making the Tune Squad the winner of the match. Seeing the Monstars get yelled at by Swackhammer, Jordan helps them realize that they only listened to him because they were smaller. With the Tunes watching with satisfactory smiles, Swackhammer is encased in a rocket by the Monstars and sent back to his amusement park. Giving up their stolen talent, the reformed Nerdlucks are recruited into the Looney Tunes ensemble and drop off Jordan and a recovered Stan at Jordan's next baseball game. Jordan and Stan visit the incapacitated basketball players and return their talent to which the players provoke a reluctant Jordan into participating in a three-on-three match. The film ends with Jordan's 1995 return to the Chicago Bulls to resume his basketball career. Cast Some of the film's live-action cast play fictional versions of themselves: * Michael Jordan as himself ** Brandon Hammond as 10-year-old Michael Jordan. * Wayne Knight as Stan Podolak * Theresa Randle as Juanita Jordan * Bill Murray as himself * Larry Bird as himself * Charles Barkley as himself * Shawn Bradley as himself * Patrick Ewing as himself * Larry Johnson as himself * Muggsy Bogues as himself * Thom Barry as James R. Jordan, Sr., Michael's father. * Penny Bae Bridges as Jasmine Jordan, Michael's daughter. NBA players Danny Ainge, Steve Kerr, Alonzo Mourning, Horace Grant, A.C. Green, Scottie Pippen, Charles Oakley, Luc Longley, Cedric Ceballos, Derek Harper, Vlade Divac, Brian Shaw, Jeff Malone, Bill Wennington, Anthony Miller, and Sharone Wright make cameo appearances in the film, as do coaches Del Harris and Paul Westphal. Broadcasters Ahmad Rashad and Jim Rome also appear. Dan Castellaneta and Patricia Heaton appear as basketball fans. Voice cast * Danny DeVito as Mr. Swackhammer * Billy West as Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd * Dee Bradley Baker as Daffy Duck, Taz, Road Runner and the Bull * Bob Bergen as Marvin the Martian, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Hubie and Bertie * Bill Farmer as Foghorn Leghorn, Yosemite Sam and Sylvester * Maurice LaMarche as Pepé Le Pew * June Foray as Granny * Colleen Wainwright as Sniffles * Kath Soucie as Lola Bunny. Lola is a new character introduced in this film. * Dan Russell as Richard Watterson * Teresa Gallagher as Nicole Watterson * Frank Welker as Charles, Michael's pet bulldog * Jocelyn Blue as Pound ** Darnell Suttles as Monstar Pound * June Melby as Bang ** Joey Camen as Monstar Bang * Catherine Reitman as Bupkus ** Dorian Harewood as Monstar Bupkus * Colleen Wainwright as Nawt ** T. K. Carter as Monstar Nawt * Charity James as Blanko ** Steve Kehela as Monstar Blanko Music The soundtrack sold enough albums to be certified as 6x Platinum. It also served as a high point for musical artist R. Kelly, whose song "I Believe I Can Fly" not only was a hit, but earned him two Grammy Awards. Other tracks included a cover of Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like an Eagle" (by Seal), "Hit 'Em High (The Monstars' Anthem)" (by B-Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man), "Basketball Jones" (by Barry White & Chris Rock), "Pump up the Jam" (by Technotronic), "I Turn to You" (by All-4-One) and "For You I Will" (by Monica). The film's title song Space Jam was performed by the Quad City DJ's. Release Warner Bros. released Space Jam through its Family Entertainment division on November 15, 1996. The film made its cable television premiere on TNT on March 14, 1999, while it made its network television premiere on ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney on November 14, 1999. Home media Warner Home Video first released the film on VHS, Laserdisc and DVD on March 11, 1997. The VHS tape was reprinted and re-released through Warner Home Video's catalog promotions: The Warner Bros. 75th Anniversary Celebration (1998), Century Collection (1999), Century 2000 (2000) and Warner Spotlight (2001). The film was re-released on DVD on July 25, 2000. On October 28, 2003, the film was released as a 2-disc special edition DVD including newly made extras such as a commentary track and a featurette. On October 2, 2007, Space Jam for UMD Video for PSP was released. On November 6, 2007, Space Jam was featured as one of four films in Warner Home Video's 4-Film Favorites: Family Comedies collection DVD (the other three being Looney Tunes: Back in Action - which was released seven years after Space Jam, Osmosis Jones and Funky Monkey). On February 8, 2011, the first disc of the previous 2-disc edition was released by itself in a film-only edition DVD and on October 4, the film was released for the first time in widescreen HD on Blu-ray which, save for an hour of classic Looney Tunes shorts, ported over all the extras from the 2003 2-disc edition DVD. A double DVD and Blu-ray release, paired with Looney Tunes: Back in Action, was released on June 7, 2016. On November 15, 2016, Warner Bros. released another Space Jam Blu-ray to commemorate the film's 20th anniversary. Merchandise Space Jam later expanded into a media franchise which includes comics, video games and merchandise. The Space Jam franchise is estimated to have generated $6 billion in total revenue. Comics The film was adapted into a graphic novel drawn by Leonardo Batic. Video games There was a licensed pinball game by Sega based on the film, a video game for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and MS-DOS by Acclaim and a handheld LCD game by Tiger Electronics. Toys Toys were released coinciding with the film, including various action figures released by Playmates Toys under the short-lived banner "WB Toy". The toys had limited articulation and paired Michael Jordan or another characters of the movie (Charles Barkley and the Monstars with a Looney Tunes character and accessories). Some figures depicted Michael Jordan as a basketball player, a baseball player and a golf player. The line also included stuffed toys, decorated basketballs and McDonald's Happy Meals. Planned sequel A sequel to Space Jam was planned as early as 1997. As development began, Space Jam 2 was going to involve a new basketball competition between the Looney Tunes and a new villain named Berserk-O!. Artist Bob Camp was tasked with designing Berserk-O! and his henchmen. Joe Pytka would have returned to direct and Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone signed on as the animation supervisors. However, Michael Jordan did not agree to star in a sequel. According to Camp, a producer lied to design artists by claiming that Jordan had signed on in order to keep development going. Warner Bros. eventually canceled plans for Space Jam 2. The film then reentered development as Spy Jam and was to star Jackie Chan in a different script. The studio was also planning a film titled Race Jam which would have starred Jeff Gordon. Additionally, Space Jam director Joe Pytka revealed that following the first film's success, he had been pitched a story for a sequel that would have starred professional golfer Tiger Woods, with Jordan in a smaller role. Pytka explained how the idea came from an out of studio script conference, with people who worked on the original film allegedly involved. Producer Ivan Reitman was reportedly in favor of a film which would again star Jordan. The follow-up films were ultimately cancelled in favor of Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). A film titled Skate Jam was in early development with Tony Hawk in the starring role. Plans were underway for production to begin immediately following the release of Looney Tunes: Back in Action, but was cancelled given the poor financial reception to said film despite improved critical reception. In February 2014, Warner Bros. officially announced development of a sequel that will star LeBron James. Charlie Ebersol was set to produce, while Willie Ebersol wrote the script. By May of the same year, James was quoted as saying, "I've always loved Space Jam. It was one of my favorite movies growing up. If I have the opportunity, it will be great." In July 2015, James and his film studio, SpringHill Entertainment, signed a deal with Warner Bros. for television, film and digital content after receiving positive reviews for his role in Trainwreck. By 2016, Justin Lin signed onto the project as director, and co-screenwriter with Andrew Dodge and Alfredo Botello. In November 2016, a teaser trailer in the form of a Nike advertisement, was released on Twitter under #MonstarsBack. Later in December, Bugs Bunny and the Monstars appeared in a Foot Locker commercial starring Blake Griffin and Jimmy Butler. By August 2018, Lin left the project, and Terence Nance was hired to direct the film. In September 2018, Ryan Coogler was announced as a producer for the film. SpringHill Entertainment released a promotional teaser image officially announcing the film, with production set to begin on June 17, 2019 during the NBA off-season. Filming will take place in California and will shoot within a 30 mile radius of Los Angeles. Prior to production, the film received $21.8 million in tax credits as a result of a new tax incentive program from the state. By February 2019, after releasing the official logo with a promotional poster, the film studios involved have Space Jam 2 scheduled for release on July 16, 2021.